i have arthritis in both knees

billy1961

Can anyone give me advise i suffer with arthritis in both knees. i am on job seekers i live in scunthorpe the problem is since being on jobseekers i was put on back to work programme with g4s. now i told them i can not stand for a long time now they put me forward to work in a chicken factory where you are standing up for 8 hours i cant walk far or stand for long before my legs and back hurts i do want to work my doctors are useless because i dont go into them often moaning about my pains i did have xray the hospital said i have arthritis my doctor says i have loose bones in my knees went back to the hospital to have a operation couldnt have one blood pressure was high i ask the doctor at the hospital my doc said i havent got arthritis and now your saying i have he look at the xray and said yes you have told him then tell my gp that because he says i havent , my gp still thinks i havent got arthritis . now am getting pains in my hands because it doesnt show up in my blood my gp thinks i havent got arthritis, i am too scared not to go and tell g4s that am unable to stand at a machine for 8 hours of fear of losing my benefits. i do want to work can anyone advise me please

dreamdaisy

Hello, you are having a rough time of it, aren't you? So, if I have this right, the hospital consultant said you do but your GP says you don't. I suggest you find another GP, one who is hopefully more understanding. I presume you are talking about osteoarthritis? I have it in my knees and other places too and I cannot stand for longer than two minutes. No way can you work in that factory, mate, that's waaaaaaay to much for your poor joints but you need your health professionals to support you with this.

Ask your hospital consultant to send you a letter stating that the Xray clearly shows arthritis. Take that to a new GP and let's hope you start getting some better support. To be honest there is not a great deal to be done for OA, it comes down to pain relief and maybe an anti-inflammatory medication. Exercise can help because it keeps the joint-supporting muscles stronger but it has to be the right kind, low-impact and non-weight bearing. I wish you well and please let us know how you get on. DD

stickywicket

Excellent advice form DD - as usual. Keep fighting your corner, Billy, and don't give up.

billy1961

dreamdaisy wrote:

Hello, you are having a rough time of it, aren't you? So, if I have this right, the hospital consultant said you do but your GP says you don't. I suggest you find another GP, one who is hopefully more understanding. I presume you are talking about osteoarthritis? I have it in my knees and other places too and I cannot stand for longer than two minutes. No way can you work in that factory, mate, that's waaaaaaay to much for your poor joints but you need your health professionals to support you with this.

Ask your hospital consultant to send you a letter stating that the Xray clearly shows arthritis. Take that to a new GP and let's hope you start getting some better support. To be honest there is not a great deal to be done for OA, it comes down to pain relief and maybe an anti-inflammatory medication. Exercise can help because it keeps the joint-supporting muscles stronger but it has to be the right kind, low-impact and non-weight bearing. I wish you well and please let us know how you get on. DD

billy1961 wrote:

Can anyone give me advise i suffer with arthritis in both knees. i am on job seekers i live in scunthorpe the problem is since being on jobseekers i was put on back to work programme with g4s. now i told them i can not stand for a long time now they put me forward to work in a chicken factory where you are standing up for 8 hours i cant walk far or stand for long before my legs and back hurts i do want to work my doctors are useless because i dont go into them often moaning about my pains i did have xray the hospital said i have arthritis my doctor says i have loose bones in my knees went back to the hospital to have a operation couldnt have one blood pressure was high i ask the doctor at the hospital my doc said i havent got arthritis and now your saying i have he look at the xray and said yes you have told him then tell my gp that because he says i havent , my gp still thinks i havent got arthritis . now am getting pains in my hands because it doesnt show up in my blood my gp thinks i havent got arthritis, i am too scared not to go and tell g4s that am unable to stand at a machine for 8 hours of fear of losing my benefits. i do want to work can anyone advise me please

billy1961

Thanks dd just been to g4s again today told them how can i stand all day they were not interested. they have put me forward for another job again factory work . the doctor in the hospital said its arthritis am just so fed up going to my doctors explaining to them did tell them about my pains all i get is you be al right work will be good for you is just like talking to a brick wall now i have said to hell with them they do something when am rush to hospital i know you said get another doctor i have no faith in any of them. but thanks for your advise. we have 6 doctors where i go too. one doctor is suppose to be a expert on arthritis ? he says because of my knee its makes your back hurt your hips hurt but he claims i have lose bones floating around my knee he thinks a operation wouldnt be any good i just gave up.

dreamdaisy

That doctor is right, because of the loose matter (which could be tidied up via an operation) and the arthritis there will be referred pain because other joints are being thrown out of kilter. Don't lose faith in all doctors, I've been dealing with them since I was eighteen months old (or rather my Ma did then ) and yes, there have been some who were not good but the majority have been reliable, informative and helpful. It takes time to find a good doctor, my current practice has fourteen GPs, you get to see anyone on the day you ring, but there are two who stand out and I always feel absurdly happy when I get to either of them. This is your health at stake and sometimes we have to fight quite hard to get the help we require. Stand your ground, mate, I know that AC produce some excellent leaflets on arthritis, its causes and things which help etc. so please ring the Helpline on here (it's a free call) and they will send them to you. These will give you more information and you can show them to the G4S people too. DD

stickywicket

From my very limited understanding of G4S I'd guess they are unlikely to pay much attention to anything you say unless it is backed up by a written confirmation from a doctor. I think you might have to pay for this but it would maybe save a lot of future hassle. However, your GP should have had a report from the hospital after the x-rays. You can ask for a copy of this and I don't think you'd have to pay for it.

Could you ask G4S for a sitting down job? Maybe at the checkout in a store?

Again, DD is right. The loose bits of bone can be tidied up in an operation. They will cause extra pain and, in trying to avoid knee pain, you might be giving yourself other pain elsewhere.

dreamdaisy

Now that's an idea, Billy, how about a seated job? I don't know how much input one has when dealing with G4S (I was self-employed) but if you can make your own suggestions then hopefully they will take on board the fact that you want to work. DD

dreamdaisy

Why on earth is Billy's thread on this board? :? It's also where it was. I am muddled. DD